Electronic mail system employing a low bandwidth link for e-mail notifications

Abstract

An e-mail notification system is provided. The e-mail notification system has a remote e-mail service system and at least one local client device. The e-mail service system is connected to the local client device via a primary communications link, and a secondary relatively low-bandwidth continuous communications link. The primary communications link is preferably bidirectional and has a relatively high bandwidth. Because such links are relatively costly, the primary communications link is not used continuously. The secondary communications link is preferably a low cost unidirectional continuous link. The e-mail service system receives e-mail messages for a user and sends e-mail notifications over the secondary communications link. The local client device generates an appropriate indicator whenever an e-mail notification is received. The local client device may automatically retrieve e-mail messages for the user from the remote e-mail service system via the primary communications link or may provide the user with the opportunity to manually obtain e-mail messages from the remote e-mail service system over the primary communications link.

Description

[0001]This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application No. 60 / 096,967, filed Aug. 18, 1998.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]This invention relates to electronic mail (“e-mail”) systems, and more particularly, to e-mail systems that notify a user that the user has received e-mail messages.[0003]There are several different models of e-mail delivery used today. In one model, users are connected continuously via a continuous, high-bandwidth network link and receive e-mail messages immediately as the messages are available. In a second model, users are not notified of available e-mail messages, but must connect (typically via a telephone modem) to an e-mail server or other system to retrieve any e-mail messages that may be available. In a third model, users are not notified of available e-mail messages, but must connect to an e-mail server to retrieve e-mail message headers, and then indicate, based on those headers, which e-mail messages to retrieve. In a fourth model...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0005]This and other objects of the invention are accomplished in accordance with the principles of the present invention by providing an e-mail system that provides e-mail notifications without requiring that a telephone modem link be established to check for e-mail messages.

Problems solved by technology

The drawback of these systems is that continuous high-speed links may be prohibitively expensive for many users, but without a continuous high-speed link users do not know when e-mail messages are available and must establish a telephone modem link to check for e-mail messages.

Checking for messages ties up the local telephone line and may burden the user with the cost of the telephone call.

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